After a 10-year delay, Israel’s health and finance ministers signed permits on Sunday to establish a new hospital in Beersheva.
The hospital, which will be the city’s second, is slated to open by 2028 and will include about 600 beds.
The facility, which was green-lighted by the Cabinet back in May, will be jointly owned by the Meuhedet and Leumit health funds, and operated by Ramat Gan’s Sheba Medical Center.
Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center, which opened in 1959, is currently the only large hospital in the south of the country, which is home to more than one million residents; the new facility is expected to reduce its heavy workload. The smaller Yoseftal Medical Center serves the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
“Today we are advancing another step in realizing the vision to reduce the gaps between the periphery and the center, and to provide equal rights to advanced health services for every citizen in the State of Israel regardless of their place of residence, community affiliation or economic situation,” said Health Minister Uriel Bosso in a statement. “This is historic news that will change the face of our healthcare system for generations to come.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “This long-delayed step will reduce health disparities and help millions of residents of the Negev receive fast and quality health service. The establishment of the hospital is an integral part of the realization of the Zionist vision.”
